Proof of Heaven
Summary: Thousands of people have had near-death experiences, but scientists have argued that they are impossible. Dr. Eben Alexander was one of those scientists. A highly trained neurosurgeon, Alexander knew that NDEs feel real, but are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress.
Then, Dr. Alexander’s own brain was attacked by a rare illness. The part of the brain that controls thought and emotion—and in essence makes us human—shut down completely. For seven days he lay in a coma. Then, as his doctors considered stopping treatment, Alexander’s eyes popped open. He had come back.
Alexander’s recovery is a medical miracle. But the real miracle of his story lies elsewhere. While his body lay in coma, Alexander journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself.
Alexander’s story is not a fantasy. Before he underwent his journey, he could not reconcile his knowledge of neuroscience with any belief in heaven, God, or the soul. Today Alexander is a doctor who believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition.
This story would be remarkable no matter who it happened to. That it happened to Dr. Alexander makes it revolutionary. No scientist or person of faith will be able to ignore it. Reading it will change your life.
My Two Cents: I get it. Some of my fellow Christians are not into the whole NDE (near death experience) stories thing. But I am. I don’t take everything I read as Gospel, unless it’s the actual Gospel, but I am always interested to hear about people’s experiences, and I am constantly putting their experiences next to what Scripture does tell us about heaven. It’s fascinating to me! This book did not disappoint. One of things I really loved about Dr. Alexander’s book is that he was a skeptic. Even after his experience, he tested his own experience. He looked at his own medical records and really did question whether or not his experience was real. There is so much science discussed and for me, it was really cool to see science and faith blended, because that’s not something we often see. I also believe that science and faith can blend together well. So, if you are someone who is interested in reading about a doctor’s experience with death, this is the book for you. Some of it doesn’t match up totally with what the Bible tells us happens after death, but also the Bible doesn’t really give us a whole lot to go on. I’m not here to say whether or not his experience is 100% valid, I am just here to say that I think it was a really interesting book and worth a read through!